Trump on repercussions for China: "We're working on that right now"
President Trump said he is considering “repercussions” for the Chinese government’s handling of coronavirus, after days of placing the blame for the virus on the country.
“It would have been much better if we had known about this a number of months earlier,” the President said at a news conference Thursday. “It could have been contained to that one area in China where it started. And certainly the world is paying a big price for what they did.”
Some context: Trump was initially very complimentary of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s handling of the outbreak, but in recent days he has taken to calling COVID-19 the “Chinese virus.”
After consulting with medical experts, and receiving guidance from the World Health Organization, CNN has determined that that name is both inaccurate and stigmatizing.
The President also expressed skepticism of China’s claim that they had no new cases of coronavirus Thursday.
“As far as believing what they’re putting out now, I hope it’s true,” he said. “Who knows? But I hope it’s true.”
When asked if he was considering repercussions on the country, Trump answered: “We’re working on that right now.”
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